This invention relates generally to a system and method for allowing a caller to access a service offered by a content provider over a telephone network via an intermediary and, more particularly, to a system and method for allowing a caller to extend his connection to the content provider by increasing the balance of a prepaid account associated with the caller.
With the advent of 900 number and similar shared-revenue systems, the use of telephone-based services and the corresponding number of providers of these services has increased dramatically. Consumers can now use the telephone to receive a wide variety of services, ranging from technical support to personal psychic readings. These services are typically provided by a content provider who first delivers the service over the telephone and subsequently bills a caller. The caller typically is identified by the phone number from which he is calling, and the subsequent bill is then included as part of the caller""s telephone bill. The content provider typically calculates the amount of the bill after the service has been delivered. This amount is forwarded to the telephone company, which both bills and collects from the caller. The telephone company typically deducts a portion of the total payment in return for both the cost of making the telephone connection and for the telephone company""s role as bill collector.
This system has significant drawbacks. For example, because the caller is charged after he has consumed the service, there is a significant risk of bad debt. Callers may refuse to pay for the service or may even deny having used the service in the first place. This generally results in a loss to the content provider and also requires the telephone company to charge a higher rate for the telephone connection because a fraction of the connections will be written off as bad debt. Another disadvantage is that calls from public access phones, such as those in airports and hotels, are typically blocked because it is unclear who should be billed for calls from these phones. Many companies also block calls from their internal phones to prevent employees from, among other reasons, generating large bills. Another disadvantage is that callers from home cannot access a service anonymously because telephone billing statements normally identify both the content provider called and the amount charged.
In an effort to overcome some of these disadvantages, some content providers have established 900 number debit cards in which the caller pre-pays for the service provided by the content provider. For example, a 900 number debit card was offered by the Weather Channel. In this system, the caller set up an account by purchasing the debit card, effectively prepaying for Weather Channel access/information. The caller then dialed the access number listed on the back of the debit card to access the Weather Channel, with the appropriate fee being deducted from the value remaining in the caller""s prepaid account. However, the Weather Channel debit card could only complete calls to the Weather Channel; services from other content providers were not available through the Weather Channel debit card. This single service limitation severely limits the functionality of a debit card, as a caller would have to carry a separate card and maintain a separate prepaid account for each content provider he intends to access.
When a debit card""s value is diminished, a caller is typically disconnected from the content provider. Being disconnected from a content provider is inconvenient in that a caller must not only call the content provider back, but will usually incur the high first-minute rates associated with many content providers. While some debit cards allow a caller to transfer funds from a credit card to a debit card account, many callers are reluctant to use a credit card account for such purposes. Callers typically purchase prepaid cards specifically to avoid inconveniences associated with credit cards such as interest, potential security risks, and the loss of anonymity.
To overcome such shortcomings, the aforementioned parent application, Ser. No. 08/777,802 entitled xe2x80x9cMethod and System for Connecting a Caller to a Content Provider,xe2x80x9d discloses a method and system for connecting a caller to a content provider that provides a service over a telephone network. In this system, the caller initially establishes a prepaid account with an intermediary, such as a xe2x80x9ctransaction processorxe2x80x9d. The transaction processor provides the caller with access to a plurality of content providers via a common access number and receives payment for the charges associated with calls to the content providers by debiting the caller""s prepaid account.
One advantage of this system is that it allows a caller to anonymously access a plurality of content providers through one account. However, it does not address how a caller can increase the funds of his prepaid account without jeopardizing his anonymity. For example, the transfer of funds from the caller""s credit card account to his prepaid account cannot be readily accomplished without the caller identifying himself. Accordingly, the amount of services the caller can consume is limited by the amount in the caller""s prepaid account, which effectively limits the content providers"" potential revenue.
Thus, a need exists for a system and method that allows a caller to anonymously increase the balance of his prepaid account and that further allows a caller to maintain an anonymous connection to the described content provider despite having a low prepaid account balance. There further exists a need for a system and method that allows the caller to switch between content providers while maintaining a connection to the transaction processor.
In connection with the foregoing, a transaction processor (e.g., debit card platform) is disclosed which generally receives a telephone call from a caller identifying (a) a first account identifier corresponding to a balance of a first account, the balance of the first account being associated with an amount of available funds, and (b) a content provider identifier corresponding to a telephone number of the content provider. The debit card platform establishes a telephone connection between the caller and the content provider to enable the content provider to provide a service to the caller through the telephone connection.
During the course of the connection, the debit card platform continuously monitors the caller""s amount of available funds in the first account and, upon occurrence of a xe2x80x9ctriggering event,xe2x80x9d performs an action to increase the amount of available funds. The triggering event may be, e.g., the receipt of the telephone call, providing the caller with the cost of the service, the amount of available funds reaching a threshold value, or the expiration of a period of time.
When the transaction is completed, the debit card platform debits the first account by a transaction amount based on the content provider and the service provided.
According to one aspect of the invention, the debit card platform receives a second account identifier from the caller corresponding to a balance of a second account, and links the second account with the first account.
According to another aspect of the invention, the debit card platform establishes a connection between the caller and a second content provider upon receipt of a second content provider identifier corresponding to the second content provider.
According to another aspect of the invention, the debit card platform extends a determined amount of eligible credit to the caller""s first account, and allows the caller to repay the extended credit anonymously.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, the debit card platform provides the caller with a code associated with an unlisted phone number of a content provider that allows the caller free service from the content provider for a predetermined period of time.
The system and method of the invention will be more readily understood and apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and from the claims which are appended at the end of the detailed description.